gilbert



A. P. GILBERT.

TOBACCO HANGING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. I918.

Patented June 10, 1919.

| 4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

III

ATTORNEY A. P. GILBERT. TOBACCO HANGING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25,1918.

1,3Q6,37% Y PatentedJune 10,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A'ITOHNEY 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented June 10, 1 919.

A. P. GILBERT. TOBACCO HANGING MACHINE. A PPLICATION FILED APR-25.1918.

ATTORN EY A. P. GILBERT- TOBACCO HANG ING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25. I9IB 1,306,374. I 'PatentedJune 10, 1919 4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

ATTORN EY W .mwmu

ALBERT PAUL GILBERT, OF DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

crosacco-rmnemc maonmn.

nseam.

. Specification of Letters Patent. I Patentedtll 1111mm; jlfilll, 1191199.

Application filed Ap1i125, 1918. Serial No. 230,786.

To, all whom it may concern: I L

Be it known that I, Amnn'r- P. GILBERT, a citizen of the. United "States, residing at 'Durham, in the county of Durham and ing compartments.

is the customary procedure after the tobacco is harvested to hang the plants or stalks in their entirety to dry out the leaves and fix the color. Then, at'the convenience of the planter, the leaves arest-ripped from the stalks and graded as to size, color andtype, the procedure being, in the tobacco industry, called grading. The leaves are then tied into bundles of twelveor fifteen, more or less, with one leaf wrapped around .the butt end of the bundle of leaves to hold them in the bundle form. Such bound mass .of leaves is called a bundle or hand. The

bundles are then sold in piles at the warehouse. All this is preliminary to this invention, inv accordance with which latter the bundles oftobacco are taken by the purchaser to plants. built for the purpose in which the tobacco is redried, the bundles be ing put separately on sticks about five feet long with the bundles hanging one after the other astride the stick. Such hung bundles are putf'in redrying machines and carried through 'a process which determines the amount -of moisture whichis necessary to "j ure the tobacco. and preserve it, after which the tobacco is" packed and stored for out - two years before being manufactured.

Prior to this invention the hanging of the bundles on the sticks has been entirely a manual procedure, but by means of the invention the procedure is made automatic and theamount of tobacco strung upon the stick is predetermined, the only part of the whole operation which may require any handling'of the. tobacco being the placing of the bundles at the'receiving end of the machine.

The impaling sticks are automatically and successively placed in position, and then the amount has been so placed,whereupon, the

filled stick, that is, one having the predetermined amount of tobacco thereon, is discharged from the machine, such operation temporarily stopping the automatic feed of the tobacco toward the stick zone, starting mechanism previously quiescent, resulting in the discharge of the filled stick, and placing another-[stick in position to receive the predetermined amount of tobacco, after whlch the initial operation is againestablished to be repeated indefinitely. 7

'The invention will be best'understood from a consideration of the following de tailed description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,with the understanding,

however, that the invention is not confined I to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modificat-ions mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

' In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a machine emfroni'the discharge side of the machine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the machine from the opposite side thereof, some parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4& of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5+5 of Fig. 1, but drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 3, but ,drawn on a larger scale and omitting some parts. a

Fig. 7 isa section on vthe line 7+7 of Fig. 3, but drawn on aflarger scale and omitting some parts.

Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 8-8. ofFig. 1, but drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 9 is a detail view of a portion'of the stick holding reel showing a temporary holding means for the reel, some parts being indicated in section.

Fig. 10 is a detail section of a cam used in the structure.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a frame 1 of suitable shape and suitably constructed to support various mechanisms to which reference is hereinafter made. since the framework may be variously formed and constructed of various materials, no special reference is made thereto.

.bodying the invention, the view being taken,

llll'll Mounted on the framework are spaced drums 2, 3 carrying an endless conveyer belt '.'4 having its upper run supported upon idler rollers 5, and along one face of the conveyer belt in elevated relation thereto is an abutment board 6 so that bundles 7 of tobacco may be placed upon the conveyer 4 and caused to properly travel by engagement with the abutment board 6. These bundles are composed of masses of tobacco leaves tied together at one end by another leaf or leaves to produce a butt 8, the remainder of the leaves being loose.

The machine is provided with a roller 9 having its periphery roughened or suitably arranged to grip the bundles, the roller 9 being spaced above one end of the drum 2 'so that as the conveyer 4 carries the bundles along with it they ultimately pass between the roller 9 and the-drum 2 and are gripped between these two parts, thus being forcefully propelled. In the path of the propelled bundles is a stick or rod 10 having the ends 11 sharpened or pointed. The stick l0 constitutes animpaling stick which, by suitable devices to be described, is presented and held in the path of the bundles 7 immediately adjacent to the butts 8 so that as the bundles 7 are positively moved under the action of the roller 9 and drum 2 they are forced upon the stick in succession until 'a certain amount of the tobacco becomes The stick 10, when in. position to receive the bundles 7, is carried by a reel 12, best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8, although appearing in other'figures of the drawings. The reel comprises two heads 13, 14 respectively,

' joined and spaced apart by a neck or hub 15. The heads 13 and 14 have matching peripheral recesses or pockets 16 so disposed that two matching recesses or pockets 'will receive a stick 10 and sustain it in suitable relation to the longitudinal axis of the reel, with the stick having one pointed end in the pocket in the head .13 and the other pointed end projecting beyond the head 14 into close relation to the drum 2 and feeding roller 9. 17 supported in journal bearings carried by posts 18, 19 respectively, of the main frame. The head 13 of the reel carries pairs of guides 20 on the face toward the head 14 on the reel, and on a cross bar 21 of the main frame there is mounted a pin 22 situated to enter between a pair of guides 20 when the reel is in a certain positiqn to be referred to so as to temporarily liold or look the reel against rotation, the reel be ing capable of movement lengthwise of the shaft 17 but may be held thereto in a described with relation to the second named The reel is mounted on a shaft manner causing the reel to rotate with the shaft.

Adapted to the heads 13 and 14 are hoods or caps 23, best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8 but appearing in others of the figures. The hoods 23 are alike and are connected together by cross'bars 24 which may be cast in one piece with the hoods or these parts may be otherwiseformed. The hoods eX- tend partially about the upper portions of the heads 13 and 14, and one hood 23 has a side flange 25 extending partially over that face of the head 13 remote from the head 14 so as to form an abutment for the rods 10 especially when the rods are in position to receive the bundles of tobacco, wherefore, the flange 25 receives the thrust of the rod during the impaling operation. The hoods each have an arm 26 overriding a discharge chute 27 leading from a reservoir 28 for the rods 10, this reservoir being carried by uprights 29 of the main frame to one side of the rod-carrying reel. The arms 26 ride upon guide rods 30, 31 mounted upon the discharge chute 27 so that the reel may be moved axially for a purpose to be described and the hoods 23 will participate in such axial movement, always covering the heads 13 and 14 from a point closely adj acent to the outlet end of the chute 27 to a point beyond the top of the reel with the latter rotating clockwise as seen in Fig. 5,

or counter-clockwise as seen in Fig. 8. In

this way a quarter turn of the reel which, at a period of rest, ha's matching peripheral notches 16 opposite the outlet end of the chute 27 and therefore lodging a rod 10, will carry the latter to a position 90 distant therefrom with the rod 10 then at the uppermost point of its travel with the reel. When this occurs another rod lodges in the next succeeding pair of matching notches or pockets 16 and a second quarter turn of the reel will repeat the operation just rod, while the first named rod is carried to a point 180 distant from the receivin point and this rod is in the meantime disc iarged from the reel by gravitation, falling upon tracks 32 declining to one side of the ma- 11. chine and supported upon posts 33 or other suitable parts of the main frame, one of the tracks 32 best appearing in Fig. 5, and these tracks being also shown in Fig. 3 and others of the figures.

The hood structure has fast thereto another rod 34,'best seen in Fig. 6 although shown in Fig. 1 and others of the figures, and this rod has a free end closely approach ing the receiving end of a placed impaling stick where the rod 34 is provided with an elastic tongue 35 so arranged as to permit the bundles 7 to move along the impaling stick in the feeding operation, but preventing any return movement of these bundles.

When a suflicient number of bundles has been moved upon the impaling stick or rod 'the firstbundle to be impaled ultimately comes in contact with a finger 36 .carried by a block 37 .adjustably held on a link 38 by a set'screw 39 or otherwise, this 4 structure being best'shown in Fig. 7 but appearing in others of the figures. The link 38 is mounted to rock upon a pin or bracket 40, projecting through an elongated slot 41 in the link, since in the operation of the latter the link both rocks upon the pin 40 and moves lengthwise thereof. The link 38 at the end remote from the block 37 has pivoted thereto a bar 42 in pendant relation to the link and extending through a guide 43, permitting the bar 42 to move length- ;wise and sidewise, the latter movement being restricted to one direction by the 'guide 43. At an appropriate point on the bar 42 is a latch tooth 44 in position to engage one of the teeth of a ratchet wheel 45 mounted on a. shaft 46 constituting thedrive shaft of the machine and -extendingbeyond the same side of the machine on which the reservoir 28 is located. The bar 42 is engaged by a spring 47 normally maintaining the tooth 44 out of the path of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 45 but yieldable to properly applied force. The end of the bar 42 remote from the link 38, this being the lower end of the bar in the showing of the drawings, is connected to a bell crank lever 48, best seen in Fig. 4, which lever is supported by a. bracket 49 on a portion of the main frame and is connected by a rod 50 to a junction bar 51 between two clutches. 52, 53 respec-' tively, these c utches appearing in Figs. 3 and 4, and w 'ch clutches may be of ordinary type and hence requiring no special description. The clutch 52 is arranged to couple a pinion'54 to the drive shaft 46 and this pinion is in mesh with a gear wheel 55' on .a shaft 56 secured to the drum 2 for rotating it. The clutch 53 is arranged to couple a pinion 57 to the drive shaft and this pinion is in mesh with a gear-wheel 58 on a countershaft 59mounted. in an appropriate. portion of the main frame. The shaft 59 serves the purpose of a cam shaft having two cams 60 and 61 fast theretoor these cams may constitute a single member, as for instance a. single casting, with appropriate cam portions. The earns 60 and 61 appearin Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 10. In the particular showing of the drawings the cam 60 has a cam groove .62 in one face in which groove there engages a roller 63 on one end of a slidable bar 64 mounted in a bearing 65 on an-appropriate part of the main frame. This bar has a continuation 66, best wn in Figs. 1 and 5, and terminates in a fork 67 engaging in a grooved collar .68 fast to to reciprocate in timed relation to the operation of other parts-of the machine for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

In the path of the cam 61 is one end of a rock lever 69 carried by a bracket 70 upon an appropriate part of the frame and the other end of the leverengages a reciprocatory latch rod 71 which, when the reel is atone limit of its axial travel has a latch tooth 72 in position to engage a suitable one of a circular series of projections or studs 73 on the head 13 ofthe reel, the parts being arranged so that each time the cam 61 rotates the lever 69 will reciprocate the latch member 71 and cause the 90- movement of the reel, which ,movement and its eiiects have already been described.

The power shaft 46 is provided with a pulley 7 4 by means of which power may be applied to the shaft by a belt 75 or in any other manner, the pulley and belt being considered as indicative of any suitable driving power. t The shaft 59 carries a cam 76 having a cam projection 77 on one face in the path of which is a lever 78 connected at the end remote from the cam with the clutches pinion 84 on a shaft 85 on which the drum 9 j is mounted. The shaft 85 is carried by bearings 86 of a character permitting the drum 9 to rise and fall to accommodate varying thicknesses of the butts 8 of the bundles 7 and so maintain driving engagement therewith without injury'thereto Certain phases of the operation have been referred to hereinbefore but these parts of the operation may babriefly repeated to give ahconnected account of the action of the mac me.

It may be assumed that the drive shaft 46 is' running and that the clutch 52 is in position to couple the drive shaft with the drum 2. thuscausing the conveyer belt 4 to travel. The roller 9 being at all times connected with the drive shaft is also in motion so that where adjacent to the drive belt it is traveling in the same direction. It may be further assumed that an impaling stick 10 is properly placed on'the reel heads 13 and 14 of the reel 12. Now, bundles 7 are placed upon the conveyer 4 and positioned by being moved against the board 6. These bundles ultimately come under the roller 9 and are fed by the latter toward the stick or rod 10 which pierces the bundles adjacent to their butts 8 where the leaves are easily separated. The bundles pass the spring finger 35 as they progress along the stick 10, the bundles on leaving the conveyer turning by gravity on the stick, which is of round or other suitable cross section for the purpose, to a position where the loose leaf ends hang pendantly, there 'being nothing in the way in the machine to prevent such position of the bundles. The impaled bundles accumulate in side contact on the stick, each freshly impaled bundle'pushing the preceding bundles along the stick until the first bundle impaled reaches the finger 36, whereupon, a

further accumulation of bundles causes the l 5 finger to yield and the link 38 to move with it, thus rocking the bar 42 so as to bring the tooth 4% into the path of One of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 45. The result of this is that the finger 36 is rocked out of the way of the bundles on the stick 10 and at the same time rocks the bell crank lever 48 to an extent shifting the clutch 52 out of action and the clutch 53 into action. This disconnects the driving mechanism for the conveyer from the-drive shaft so that movement of the conveyer is arrested and no more bundles are fed upon the stick 10 which is then loaded. The shaft 59 is put into motion by being coupled to the drive shaft through the pinion 57 and gear wheel 58 and the cams 60 and 61 are set in motion.

These cams cause first an axial movement of the reel 12 away from the conveyer belt and a corresponding movement of the stick 10 and rod 34: so that the loaded stick retreats from its first position. As soon as the head 13 is in position to bring the pins or studs 73 into the path of the tooth 72 the cam 61 comes into action, thereby rocking the lever 10 to be presented into line with the space between thev roller 9 and conveyer 4: and when this is accomplished the cam- 60 returns the reel to the first position. The groove 62 of the cam 60 is so shaped that during the first part of its movement it actuates the reel away from the conveyer 4, then holds it in such position while the reel is being given a quarter rotation and then returns it to the first'position ready for the loading of the new stick with bundles of tobacco. By the time this has been accomplished the projection 77 of the cam 76 has reached the lever 78 and rocked the latter to an extent moving the clutch 52 into active position. and the clutch 53 out of active position, thus again starting the conveyer and causing the movement of the bundles or tobacco to and onto the impaling stick already placed.

The action of the machine is entirely automatic in placing the bundles of tobacco on the stick, presenting new sticks and discharging the loaded sticks from the machine.

When the sticks loaded with bundles of tobacco are hung up in a drying chamber the bundles must be spread apart lengthwise of the stick in order to properly dry. To provide for this sticks are only partially filled with bundles of tobacco while in the machine, a material portion of each stick occupying the reel 12 so as togive ample room for spreading the bundles along the stick after being discharged from the reel, or after being taken from the machine.

The purpose of positively, though temporarily, locking the reel against rotation when in the forward or active position, is to firmly hold the stick at the time of being loaded with bundles of tobacco.

What is claimed is I 1. A machine for hanging tobacco in the form of bundles thereof with the leaves bound together at one end, comprising a frame adapted to rest upon a. fixed support,

a conveyer'on the frame for receiving the bundles deposited thereon with the bound ends all directed toward and adjacent to one side of the conveyer, means for presenting and holding impaling sticks adjacent to the discharge end of the con|veyer and in the line of travel of the bound ends of the bundles, and means responsive to the accumulation of a predetermined quantity of tobacco on the stick for temporarily arresting the feed of the bundles onto the stick, and dur-' ing the period of rest causing the discharge of the filled stick and the presentation of' an empty stick into the path of travel of the bound ends of the bundles.

2. A machine for hanging tobacco in the form of bundles with the leaves bound together at one end, comprising a fixed frame, receiving means on said frame for the bundles of tobacco, feeding-means for' the bundles deposited on said receiving means by hand, and means for automatically presenting impaling sticks in the path of the bound ends of the bundles.

'3. In a machine for hanging tobacco in the form of bundles with the leaves bound together at one end, means for feeding the bundles of tobacco, spaced means for supporting impaling sticks each near one end with the other end free and directed toward the delivery end of the feeding means, and means responsive to the accumulation of bundles of tobacco in contact upon the end one end, means for conveying the bundles substantially horizontally through a substantially horizontal path of travel, and automatic means for presenting impaling sticks or rods one at a time at the discharge end of the conveying means and located to pierce the bundles of tobacco closely adjacent to the bound ends, the sticks or rods being of a cross section for the gravitation of the bundles of tobacco on the rods from a substantially horizontal position to a pendant posit on.

5, 'A hanging machine for bundles of. to-

bacco each made up of leaves bound together at one .end, comprising "a stationary frame, a conveyer on the frame for the bundles having a substantially horizontal run to support the bundles in a substantially .hori- Y zontalposition with the length of the bundles transverse to the line of travel of the conveyer, feeding means associated with the conveyer at the discharge end thereof and located to, engage. the bound ends of the bundles, and automatic means for presenting impaling sticks or rods into the path of the 'b'undlesfadjacent to the bound ends for the forcing of the bundles onto the impaling sticks by the feeding means.

I 6. A hanging machine for bu ndles of tobacco each made up of leaves bound together at one end, comprising a stationary frame, a conveyei" on the frame for the 'biindles having a substantially horizontal run to sup port the bundles in a substantiallyhorizontal position with the 'length of the bundles transverse to the line of travel of the conveyer, feeding means associated with the,

conweyer at the discharge end thereof and located to engage the bound ends of the bundles, and automatic means for present'ng impalingsticks or rods into the path 0 the bundles adjacent to the. bound ends for forcing the bundles onto the impaling-fsticks, said impaling sticks being of a cross sectional shape to'permit the turning thereon by gravity of the impaled bundles to a'pende ant positlon, and the machine being free be neath the presented sticks from impediment to suchmovement of'the bundles.

7. In a machine forhanging bundles of tobacco each composed of a mass of tobacco leaves tiedtogetherat one end to there produce a butt, comprising a stationary frame, an endless, substantially horizontal conveyer for carrying the bundles of stalks in sub-'- stantially horizontal position and arranged transversely of the line of travel of the conveyer with the butt ends of the bundles all at the same side of the conveyer, a feeding roller associated with the conveyerat the discharge end thereof and arranged at the same side of the conveyer as the butt ends of the stalks to grip said-butt ends of the .stalks in conjunction with the conveyer to forcefully discharge the stalks, and automa'tic means for presenting impaling sticks or rods in the path of the discharging stalks adjacent to the bound ends thereof for piercing and holding the stalks.

8..In a tobacco hangingmachine, means 'for feeding bundles of tobacco, means for presenting impaling devices successively in the path of traveling bundles to receive said bundles, means for causing the discharge of a filled stick and. the presentation of an empty stick into position 'to receive the bundles, and means responsive to the accumulation of bundles in side contact on a stick to stop the feed of bundles while the full stick is discharged and the succeeding ceive the bundles.

9. In atobacco hanging machine, means for feeding bundles of tobacco in apath transverse to the length of the bundles, ro-

, tat-able means for holding an impaling stick or rod parallel to and moving it .orbitally with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotatable means into the path of the bundles,

and means for forcing the'bundles' in suc cession onto the positioned impaling stick or rod. a

10. In a tobacco hanging machine, a rotatable reel having peripheral receptacles for impaling sticks or rods, whereby the sticks may receive orbital movement by ro-' tation of the reel with the sticks held parallel with the axis of such orbital movement, and means for forcing asuccession of bun- -'dles of tobacco onto a stick carried by the reel when the stick'is in one position of its orbital movement.- 1

11: In a. tobacco hanging machine, the" combination with an impaling stick, of. a fixed rod arranged alongside of and extending in the same direction as the stick and having its free end terminating short of the free end of the stick, and at-said free end the rod being provided with atongu'e arranged to permit bundles to move along the impaling stick onto the latter but preventing any return movement of the bundles.

12. In a tobacco hanging machine, means for holding an impaling stick, means for feeding a' succession of bundles of tdbacco onto the stick, and means responsive to an accumulation of bundles in contact on the stick to cause the stopping of the feed and the discharge of the loaded stick.

13. In a tobacco anging machine, means for propelling bundles of tobacco, means for presenting impaling devices successively into the path of the traveling bundles, with said roller positioned to engage the boundends of the bundles propelled by the conveyer, and a reel for carrying impaling sticks, said reel being related to the conveyer and feed roller to present the sticks end-on to the traveling bundles in position to receive the bundles from the feed roller.

15. In a tobacco hanging machine, a conveyer for bundles of tobacco, a feeding roller positioned to engage the bound ends of the bundles propelled by the conveyer, a reel for carrying impaling sticks and related to the conveyer and feeding roller to present the stick end-on to the traveling bundles in position to receive the bundles from the feeding roller, and a holder for association with a presented impaling stick and having a latch portion extended lengthwise of the stick to temporarily retain the bundles loaded on said stick.

16. In a tobacco hanging machine, a conveyer for receiving bundles of tobacco, a feed roller associated with and located at the discharge end of the conveyer, and a reciprocable reel for carrying impaling sticks and movable to receive and present impaling sticks to the discharge end of the conveyer adjacent to the feed roller for receiving the bundles of tobacco propelled by the feed roller.

17. In a tobacco hanging machine, a conveyer for receiving bundles of tobacco, a feed roller associated with and located at the discharge end of the conveyer, and a reciprocable reel for carrying impaling sticks and movable to receive and present impaling sticks to the discharge end of the conveyer adjacent to the feed roller for receiving the bundles of tobacco propelled by the feed roller, said machine being provided witha reservoir for sticks positioned to deliver the sticks one at a time to the reel, and means for moving the reel to withdraw a loaded stick from loading position and move the reel to discharge the loaded stick therefrom.

18. In a tobacco hanging machine, means i for feeding bundles of tobacco, a reel for holding impaling sticks and associated with the feeding means, a reservoir for the impaling sticks associated with the reel and to the reel to carry a stick from the reservoir into the line of travel of the bundles and to discharge .a loaded stick from the' reel.

19. In a tobacco hanging machine, means for feeding bundles of tobacco, a rotatable and reciprocable reel associated with-the feeding means and arranged to receive and hold impaling sticks, means for feeding 1mpaling sticks to the reel, means for rotating.

the reel to present-a stick into the line of travel of the bundles of tobacco propelled by the feeding means, means for reciprocating the reel to present the sticks into position to receive the bundles of tobacco and to withdraw the loaded sticks therefrom, and means responsive to an accumulation of bundles of tobacco upon an impaling stick to throw the feeding means out of action and set the means for reciprocating and the means for rotating the reel into action; V p

20. In a tobacco hanging machine, means for feeding bundles of tobacco, a rotatable and reciprocable reel associated with the feeding means and arranged to receive and hold impaling sticks, means for feeding mpaling sticks to the reel, means for rotating the reel to present a stick into the line of travel of the bundles of tobacco propelled by the feeding means, means for reciprocating the reel to present the sticks into pos1- tion to receive the bundles of tobacco and to the bundle feeding means.

21. In a tobacco hanging machine, means for feeding bundles of tobacco, a reel forreceiving and carrying impaling sticks, a reservoir for the sticks associated with the'reel to feed the sticks thereto, hood devices asso ciated with the reel to hold the sticks to the reel during transfer by the reel from one position to another, one of the hoods having abuttin means for an active impaling stick, means or reciprocating the reel, means for rotating the reel, and means responsive to accumulated Bundles upon a loaded stick for stopping the,feed of bundles and causing the reciprocation and rotation of the reel to present an empty stick into position to be loaded and discharge a loaded stick from the reel.

22. In a tobacco hanging machine, means,

. means for rotating the reel, and means responsive to accumulated bundles upon a loaded stick for stopping the feed of bundles and causing the reciprocation and rotation of the reel to present an empty stick into position to be loaded and discharge a loaded stick from the reel, the hood device participating in the reciprocatory movements of the reel' and provided with holding means for retaining bundles on a loaded stick during the withdrawal of the stick from loading position.

23. In a tobacco hanging machine, a rotatable and reciprocable reel, means on the reel forcarrying impaling sticks, and temporary lockingmeans for holding the reel against,

rotation at one limit movement. V

24. In atobacco hanging machine, a rota; table and reci'procable reel for carrying impaling sticks, and means for rotating the reel, comprising a latch member and matching parts on the reelarranged to be brought of its reciprocatory into engagement at one limit of reciprocatory travel of the reel, and means for operating the latch member when the reel is in positionto be engaged by said latch member.

25. Ina'tobacco hanging machine, a reciprocable and rotatable reel for carrying impaling sticks, and means for reciprocating the reel and rotating it in timed relation, comprising cams and connections therefrom, one cam and its connections causing the reciprocation of the reel during a portion of the movement of the cam and holding the reel during the remainder of the movement of the cam, and the other cam causing a partial rotation of the reel at one limit of its reciprocatory movement and then holding the reel against rotation until the reel is moved in the other direction of reciprocation.

26. In a tobacco hanging machine, a reciprocable and rotatable reel for carrying impaling sticks, and means for reciprocating the reel and rotating it in timed relation, comprising cams and connections therefrom, one ,cam and its connections causing the reciprocation of the reel during a portion of the movement of the cam and holding the reel during the remainder of the movement of the cam, and theother cam causing a partial rotation and then holding the reel against rotation until the reel is moved in the other direction of reciprocation, said reel having associated therewith temporary lock means for holding it against rotation when at the other limit of its reciprocatory movement.

In-testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature. 

